A Failed Mission
by SpaghettiGirl
Summary: Hope is on a mission, something that would normally excite her. But this time, she has someone tagging along -unfortunately. For the Two-Shot Contest.
1. Chapter 1

"We're almost there Hope. You're doing great," Arthur said encouragingly. He quickened his pace, trying to match it with hers.

In truth, he did not know if 'they were almost there'. But she was so out of breath, he just had to say something positive. Arthur was also worn out. He could barely muster the energy to move his feet, one in front of the other, one at a time. He tried not to think about the constant nagging pain in his leg.

He expected Hope to reply with a supportive remark. Perhaps something like, "thanks Arthur! You too, good job, keep going!"

He certainly did not expect her to pant, "just… just shut… up… Arthur." And she marched (or tried to) right past him without a second glance.

He sighed and followed her. "Oh, come on, Agent. It was a simple mistake!"

She huffed. "A simple… mistake. That's… that's hilarious." But she wasn't laughing.

"I didn't mean to do it, honestly!" He argued persistently. "It was an accident!"

"Keep… telling yourself… that."

Arthur raised his arms in surrender. "Alright, fine. Whatever. But whether you like it or not, we're trapped here. So you might as well at least _try_ to get along with me."

Hope stopped walking. She turned to face him and he regretted speaking up. "Because… of you." Though they weren't walking, Hope was still at loss of oxygen.

"What's that?" he asked, not totally baffled. It was probably best for her to let her believe he did not know.

She shot him a glare and resumed walking. "Stuck here," she muttered through gritted teeth, "because of you."

Arthur grimaced. "I'm sorry! It was an accident!"

"How… how many times… have you… said that already?" She growled. "Shut… shut up."

"I didn't mean to!"

"Right." She whirled on him and glowered. "You… didn't mean to… let the guards see us. You… you thought that you could… just fly away… on your magical unicorn… eh?"

"Well, I'm not the only who didn't notice!"

That statement certainly did not help Hope's temper.

"I ran a freakin' mile!" she exploded. Arthur couldn't help being impressed; she was no longer panting. "And who's fault was that? _Yours_! You could have been more careful, but no, you just have to skip into the Vesper's stronghold with a big, 'look at me! Put me in jail!' sign above your head!" She stood there, her cheeks a vivid shade of red and her eyes narrowed into thin slits dangerously.

Arthur did his best to picture Hope's described sign. He imagined pick and green neon lights flashing "capture me!" and arrows pointed at his head. The sight made him smile.

He probably shouldn't have chuckled.

"_What_, may I ask, _is so funny_?" Hope erupted. "A freakin' mile- a- a- freakin'—" Her breaths became shallow once more and her legs gave away. She crumpled onto the floor, moaning.

"Hey—! Are you oka—" a single glare from Hope silenced him and he stepped back cautiously.

Hope struggled to sit up. "I'm… fine, okay?" she snapped. "Why are you so… worried about me… all the time? It's… irritating. I can take… care of myself. Just… need some rest."

She shrugged on her bag and used it as a pillow. Sighing, she closed her eyes and drifted off to blissful sleep.

Arthur knelt down next to her and shook her awake gently. "Hope, I know you're tired and you need to sleep. But we have to keep going or the Vesper's will find us."

Her eyes shot open and they flared brightly. "I got stuck with you on a mission. You don't even _have_ Madrigal status. We had to break into your ex-peoples stronghold. You're supposed to know where we're going, but you don't. On top of that, you completely screwed it up by letting the guard spot us. I had to run away from someone with the speed of a Holt. We were both caught and locked into a smelly room. That was not fun and pretty much jeopardised our mission. Then you found a tunnel 'escape route', something I'm starting to think will never end. Now, you are not letting me go to sleep." She closed her eyes once more and ignored him.

There was a pause. Arthur wondered whether or not he should force Hope up.

"Oh, and just to let you know, I have a penknife in my bag."

Arthur stepped back. Maybe it was best to let her rest awhile. She was extremely tired and there was no harm in it. He glanced back. Unless the Vesper's found them. Then they were dead.

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><p><strong>AN: Hai! ^^ This is for the Top Madrigal Agent's Two-Shot Contest!**

**This is an "if" story. "If" Hope hadn't started dating Arthur before he revealed he was a Vesper. And don't expect this to be romance, though it might be... I don't have a clear idea on the ending of this story. We'll see where it goes.**

**Reviews are VERY MUCH appreciated. PLEASE!**

**Magic word: C~O~N~T~E~S~T. As in, please, if you like it, vote. Unless there are other stories that you really like entered in the contest- I encourage you to vote for them. (They're all really good authors! I'm nervous.)**


	2. Chapter 2

Footsteps echoed softly and the barest hint of light was visible. Arthur squinted up at the ceiling. No, wait— _not_ a ceiling.

He sat up and looked around him frantically. Where was he? It looked like some kind of tunnel, long and narrow underground. How on earth did he get here? The last thing he remembered was arguing with someone in the Madrigal Stronghold…

A soft groan emitted from a lump beside him. He jumped up, startled. And the person he least expected released a loud yawn.

"Hope?" The previous nights events came rushing back to him.

Hope stared at him, looking as confused as he had felt a few seconds ago. Then comprehension flooded her face. She blinked.

"How long have I been asleep?"

Arthur glanced at his watch and almost wished he hadn't. "Twelve hours." He flinched as Hope's expression turned into a glare.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You… you had a penknife," Arthur said weakly. The excuse sounded lame even to him.

Hope glowered at him.

"I fell asleep to, okay?" He threw his hands up exasperatedly. "So it's my fault! All my fault!"

Hope crawled towards him, dragging her bag along with her. She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.

Closing her eyes, she said, "I forgive you. 'Cause, you know, there's no point in getting mad anymore. I know you'll just keep screwing up."

Arthur nearly attacked her. Hope? Acting like this? _Forgiving_ him? Not possible. He took her by the shoulders and shook her violently. "Who are you? Where's Hope?"

Hope swatted him away, with a perfect black-belt punch. "I am Hope you hopeless imbecile!"

He cringed and massaged his aching side. "Ouch. Okay, relax. I just thought…" he trailed off.

Hope peered at him. "Arthur? What's up?"

"Footsteps..." he murmured.

She stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

"I heard footsteps, that's why I woke up," he whispered and put a finger on his lips.

Immediately, Hope clammed up. They both listened intently. A moment later, a gruff male voice spoke.

"See any of 'em?" He had a heavy accent.

"No," a high-pitch and delicate woman snapped back. "Now shut up. It's a wonder they didn't hear us after your loud footsteps."

The man grunted. "And it's a wonder they didn't hear you after your loud voice."

Silence. Arthur could tell the woman was seething and trying not to lose her temper. He stood up, pulling Hope with him.

"You're lucky they didn't hear you screaming," Hope muttered in a barely audible voice.

"Speak for your self," Arthur shot back.

They crept along the wall, trying not to make any noises. Everything was going smoothly (well, smooth enough) until Hope stepped on a stick.

The snapping woman immediately stopped walking. "What was that?" She turned to her companion.

Grunting man grunted. "Pro'lly just a squirrel. Nev'ah could stand 'em."

"You idiot!" Snapping woman hissed. "The Cahill and Traitor is here!" This time, she projected her voice. "Trent? Cahill? I know you're out there! Might as well give up right now and give us the clues you have."

Arthur looked at Hope. She rolled her eyes. He could tell what she was thinking. _Yeah, like that's gonna happen._ To be honest, Arthur could never understand why anyone ever said that. It was obvious that neither side would cave.

"I shall have mercy. Perhaps I could even persuade the Vespers to spare your lives!" Snapping woman was persistent. She refused to give up.

Hope rolled her eyes again. _Yeah, right._ He couldn't blame her.

Arthur attempted to take another tentative step. Another twig cracked. Hope glared at him and he suddenly understood.

It was a trap. A simple trap, yes, but nonetheless ingenious. After all, who could see them with this lighting?

Snapping woman was becoming impatient. "Look, young ex-Vesper and Cahill. If you do not step out of those shadows and surrender yourselves right now, I will personally ensure that your families shall suffer a painful death. And yourselves too, of course."

Hope stepped out. And she faced a gun.

Arthur could tell it took all her willpower to prevent herself from squeaking with terror. He gripped her hand tightly, took a deep breath and stepped next to her. A petit but pretty woman stood in front of him. He recognized her.

"Paige," he nodded coldly. "That is just a dart gun. A simple invention the Lucians have created. A toy."

Paige laughed. "Oh, no. You see, the Vespers have made several, ah, _improvements_ to the darts able to fit in it." She aimed it at the ground and shot. A loud and piercing bang rang out.

Arthur felt Hope cringe and he himself stiffened.

A large dent had been made in the ground and blown-up rocks were scattered all over their feet.

"So," Paige said brightly, "the clues?"

Arthur hesitated. He didn't care much for himself, but Hope was another story. Grace would not let him live to see dawn if something happened to her.

Hope squeezed his hand. A warning. No.

"Go on," she said loud, and bravely.

Paige's face tightened and she spoke to her companion. Arthur had forgotten that he was there.

"Take care of them. I'd rather not taint one of my darts with the likes of them." Paige swivelled around and began to leave.

Grunting Man grabbed her elbow roughly. "Wait just a sec!" he growled. "Why me? It's always me tha's doin' all the dirty work! _You_ deal with 'em for once!"

Paige raised a fragile eyebrow. "I am your boss, am I not?"

"Well maybe we can change that! Maybe I can be your boss!"

Paige stiffened. "I think not."

"Ya think not, eh'? Tha' don' matter. I'm not workin' for any of ya no more." And he swiped a beefy hand at Paige, knocking her out cold. The gun bounced onto the floor.

"Now," he grunted, turning his attention back on Hope and Arthur. "Dealin' with you lot."

Arthur saw his chance. He dived for the gun.

Grunting Man may have been beefy and athletic. But he was completely taken by surprise, and all her could do was body slam Arthur.

The gun flew into the air and landed— right at Hope's feet. She was surprised, but recovered fast. She snatched it up and shot Grunting Man right in the shin.

He stopped moving. "Ow. Tha's gonna hurt when I wake up." He blinked once more. Then his eyes closed and he was unconscious.

Hope picked herself up and ran towards Arthur. She heaved him up.

"Ouch," he said weakly. "I'm sore."

Hope could only grin and laugh. "What goes around comes around. Come on. Let's get out of here."

Arthur smiled at her. "Fine. But first, get rid of that gun." And he headed towards the exit.

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><p><strong>AN: Gladness that I finished! This was rushed.**

**Please go to Top Madrigal Agent's profile to vote.**

**TMA; Sorry I didn't put this on until later. I was away...  
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